Should Rachel Carson be stripped of her posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom and other honors?

Oct 06, 2006 by cdf-rom | Posted in Alternative Fuel Vehicles

In the 1960's Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring, which led to the worldwide ban on DDT. For this, she was posthumously given the Presidential Medal of Freedom and other honors, such as having public buildings named after her. However, improved research has shown that DDT is not a carcinogen as it was believed to have been in those days. Also, DDT is effective in much smaller amounts that was realized, so that it can be applied much more judiciously, without accumulating in birds' eggs.

Wikipedia gives the MINIMUM estimated number of deaths from malaria as approximately 1.5 million per year. The ban took effect in the 1970's and 80's, so use a late date, 1985 as the year DDT became fully banned.

1.5 million x (2006 - 1985) = a MINIMUM of 31.5 million worldwide human deaths due to the lack of DDT.

This is more deaths than caused by Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Hitler, Stalin, and ranks alongside those caused by Margaret Sanger, worldwide!
She is widely regarded as a hero of sorts to the environmental crowd. Yet she accomplished horrible thngs!

Should we allow Rachel Carson an "Oops, that's not what I meant"...?

What would we do if she were still alive...?

If we overlook this, do we have the moral right to condemn ANYBODY for ANYTHING, no matter how heinous, as long as they thought they were right...?

I'll have to research your information but if it proves correct we mihg t want to look at those honors.

Posters

Collection Set Collage of Russian Soviet Medals for Participation in Second World War on White Isol

Josef Stalin

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Flickr Photostream

Medals awarded to a retired Canadian Captain

Centennial College held a Remembrance Day ceremony at their Story Arts Centre, November 11. Professor, Ted Barris, emceed the ceremony, introducing the guest veterans and French Consul General, Marc Trouyet.

Centennial College held a Remembrance Day ceremony at their Story Arts Centre, November 11. Professor, Ted Barris, emceed the ceremony, introducing the guest veterans and French Consul General, Marc Trouyet.

Centennial College held a Remembrance Day ceremony at their Story Arts Centre, November 11. Professor, Ted Barris, emceed the ceremony, introducing the guest veterans and French Consul General, Marc Trouyet.